Anchoring device



March 1931- M. E. HARTZLER ET AL 1,798,468

I ANCHORING DEVICE Filed April 15. 1929 INVENTOHS AT RNEY.

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MELVIN" E. HARTZLER, OF DOWNERS GROVE, AND EDGAR 1. ROMILLY', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ANCHORING DEVICE Application filed April 15,

The present invention relates generally to anchoring devices and more particularly to anchors wherein an expansible sleeve is used to embed the anchoring member in the support. In the embodiment in which we age most interested, the anchor is employed to secure markers and like traflic control devices to pavements of different kinds.

In"designi'ng an anchor of the class mentioned, it is quite important to have the anchoring member long enough to reach well into the substantial parts of the different pavements encountered in practice. It is also desirable to have the walls of the anchoring member cleave well to the walls of the material or materials surrounding it. Furthermore, the anchor should be such that when holding a single marker, the latter cannot be unscrewed or twisted from the anchoring member by the repeated blows of the traflic upon one side of the marker, as has occurred in some prior art installations where the button has been screwed to the anchor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel anchor which will meet these requirements and will be at the same time simple in construction, comprising but few parts, and economical to manufac., ture, install and maintain. Where the anchor is used to secure a marker or other traific indicating device to pavement, it should be such that the marker will not go down and will not come up when subjected to the usual conditions of service over. a long period of time. This is in addition to the requirement that the marker be held against rotation by the successive blows of the traflic.

To this end, we construct the novel anchor with, at the most, three parts. One of these is a two-part anchoring member which passes into an opening in the pavement or other support, and the other is the expansible sleeve which surrounds the anchoring member and secures it by intimately engaging the walls of the opening in the pavement or other support. Both the anchoring member and the surrounding sleeve are of special shape. The former includes a head and a depending stem. If the head and stem be made integral, then the anchor has but two parts. Preferably,

1929. Serial N0. 355,300.

however, the head and stem are separate parts and thus a three part anchor is provided. The head serves to expand the sleeve against the adjacent walls of the opening when the anchor member is driven home. The dependmg stem passes beyond the sleeve and engages, and is held by, some cementitious substance placed in the bottom of the opening. In pavement work cement grout serves as the cementing substance. The stem may also serve to expand a portion of the sleeve into its final intimate contact with the walls of the opening. The upper end of the anchor- 1 ng member is, of course, secured to the ob- ]ect to be held in place. In the embodiment illustrated, this object is a pavement marker of the button type.

Having set forth these general views of the nature and character of the invention, we may now pass to a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed. For a presentation of a scope of the invention reference should be had to the appended claims.

In said drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical section through an anchoring device constructed in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the same securing a pavement marker to a particular kind of pavement; Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the opening in the pavement into which the anchoring device is inserted; Fig. 3 is a central section of the sleeve which surrounds the anchoring member, as said sleeve appears before being expanded in the opening in the pavement; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken through the head of the anchoring member, the sleeve and a portion of the pavement, the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on a plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on a plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is an elevation of a modified anchoring stem. Throughout these views like characters refer to like parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates the sleeve of the anchoring device, B the anchoring member which comprises the head 10 and the stem 11, C a pavement marker, and D the pavement, the latter including an upper layer or coating of asphalt 12, a sand bed 13 just beneath it, and below'that a foundation layer 14 of concrete.

In practice, a hole 15 is first drilled into the pavement D and through the layers 12 and 13 and down into the concrete 14. The drilling of this hole provides a fairly even and smooth peripheral wall, except around the top of the hole where the material usually breaks away and gives a more or less ragged outer line 16. In some instances, it may be that the material of the sand bed 13 will not remain upri ht as shown,-but will run into the hole 15. owever, this is not a matter of importance.

When the hole 15 has been drilled, then preferably a small amount of cement grout 17 is poured into the hole so as to partially fill it. Obviously, some other cementitious substance might be used for this purpose. This grout 17 is to receive the end of the stem 11 of the anchoring member B, and by the time the positioning of the anchoring device has been completed, or shortly thereafter, the grout 17 will be set and contribute its part to holding the anchor in the pavement.

As soon as the grout 17 is poured into the hole 15, then the sleeve A is slipped into the mouth of the hole and pushed down into the same. The flange 18 around the top of the member A will prevent its passing beyond its proper position. The flange 18 will engage the inclined wall 19 at the mouth of the opening 15 and thus limit further downward movement of the sleeve A. The latter may be composed of different kinds of material. Commonly, it is metal and when metal is used, soft lead is quite satisfactory. On the other hand, the member A may be an asphaltum or rubber compound. In any event, it should be capable of being expanded when the head 10 of the anchoring member B is driven into the sleeve.

Once the sleeve A is set in the opening 15, we are readyto insert and drive home the anchoring member B. When this is done, the head 10 is forced into the opening 20 formed in the upper part of the sleeve A.

The stem 11, on the other hand,'passes down through the opening 21 formed in the lowerpart of the sleeve A. The head 10 is shaped to fit the opening 20 but is slightly oversize. Its walls are also slightly tapered inward and downward. Consequently, when the head 10 is forced downward into the open ing 20, the adjacent side walls of the sleeve are forced outward into intimate contact with the irregular surface of the opening 15.

Preferably, also the stem 11 of the anchoring member B has a similar oversize fit in the opening 21 and has its walls tapered inward and downward, and, consequently, the driving of the member B downward causes the stem 11 to force outward those portions of the sleeve A adjacent to it, thus expanding the lower portion of the sleeve also. Of course, in some instances, the stem 11 might well be left untapered, or it might be of such diam- .wedging action of the head 10 and stem 11,

either or both, may be sufiicient to draw the sleeve A downward in the hole 15. In such case, the flange 18 will be distorted into the flange 18, and the result will be a more intimate contact of the flange with the inclined surface 19 at the top of the opening.

, In some conditions of servi'ce, circular markers, such as the marker C, become loose by bein turned under the continued blows of traflic on one side of the axis of the marker more than on the other side. In some prior art structures, the button C is thus unscrewed. To prevent anything like this occurring, we make the opening 20 in the upper part of the sleeve A non-circular in cross-section. In the case shown, the openin is hexagonal in cross-section. In order to t this opening in the sleeve, it is necessary to similarly sha e the head 10. Therefore, the head 10 in the embodiment shown, is also hexagonal in crosssection.

The stem 11 consists simply of a rod which is threaded at its upper end, as indicated at 24, and this end is threaded into a tapped opening in the under side of the head 10. Obviously, the stem 11 might be secured to the head 10 in some other suitable way. The lower portion of the stem 11 may be variously shaped. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower portion is square in crosssection, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6, and each surface is provided with a number of shoulders 25 cut into the surface of the same, or otherwise formed therein, with a view to providing a roughened substance which will produce a closer bond with the cementitious surface 17 surrounding it. The flat faces of the shoulders 25 are located so as to provide a maximum resistance to withdrawal of the stem from the material in which it is embedded.

In lieu of the square lower end, the stem may have the spiral arrangement of Flg. 7. There, the stem, now designated 11, has-the same threaded upper end 24, but the lower end is provided wth the spiral threads26 which terminates at the-lower end of the stem ished by the construction. Where the stem 11' is used upon the head 10, there is no danger of the stem 11' being rotated while in service, for the reason that the cross-section of the head 10 and the cooperating opening 20 in the sleeve A are non-circular.

The marker C consists of an envelope of rubber 28 molded about a core plate 29 secured to the upper end of the head 10 in any suitable way. As shown, the upper end of the head is slightly reduced in diameter to form a shoulder 30 against which the apertured plate 29 fits, the reduced portion 31 passes through the aperture with a close fit and the upper end of the portion 31 is flattened into a head 32. The head 10 and plate 29 are thus secured together before the rubber 28 is molded about the plate. The outer under surface of the button 28 is provided with concentric corrugations 33 by which the button more closely fits the surface of the top layer 12 of the pavement D. The rubber 28 may be given any desired color but preferably we employ Federal yellow, orange or chrome orange, as these give the best visibility during all weather conditions.

The description, by bringing in these few modifications, illustrates the possibility of the invention with respect to still further modifications. We,'therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact matters disclosed, but aim to cover by the terms of the appended claims all those alterations and modifications which rightly come within the scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by a patent of the United States is:

1. An anchor for securing an object to pavement or the like comprising an expansible sleeve positioned in an opening in the pavement, said sleeve having an outwardly extending flange at its top and an inwardly extending abuttingsurfacenearits lower end, said flange serving/to engage the pavement around said opening; an anchoring member having an upper head and a lower depending stem, said head fitting into the upper portion of said sleeve with an oversize fit tospread said sleeve outwardly into intimate contact with the wall ofsaid opening as said anchoring member is driven home, the lower surface of said head engaging said abutting surface to limit the downward travel of said anchoring member, said stem extending below said sleeve into the lower part of said opening; and a cement mixture filling the lower part of said opening about the lower end of said stem to serve, when set, to assist in holding said anchoring member to the pavement.

'2. An anchor for securing an object to pavement or the like comprising an expansible sleeve positioned in an opening in the pavement, said sleeve having an outwardly extending flange at its top and an inwardly extending abutting surface near its lower end, said flange serving to engage the pavement around said opening; an anchoring member having an upper head and a lower depending stem, said head and stem fitting respectively into the upper and lower portions of said sleeve with an oversize fit to spread both the upper and lower portions of said sleeve outward into inti -mate contact with the wall of said opening in response to the downward travel of said anchoring member when driven home into said sleeve, the lower surface of said headengaging said abutting surface to limit the downward travel of said anchoring member, said stem extending below said sleeve into the lower part of said opening; and a cement mixture filling the lower part of said opening about the lower end of said stem to serve, when set, to assist in holding said anchoring member to the pavement.

3. An anchor for securing an object to pavement or the like comprising an expansible sleeve positioned in an opening in the pavement, said sleeve having an outwardly extending flange at its top and an inwardly extending abutting surface near its lower end, said flange serving to engage the pavement around said opening, an anchoring member having an upper head and a lower depending stem, said head and stem fitting respectively into the upper and lower portions of said sleeve, the cross sections of portions of said interfitting sleeve and anchoring, member being angular to prevent rotation of said anchoring member in said sleeve, said head fitting into the upper portion of said sleeve with an oversize fit to spread said sleeve outwardly into intimate contact with the wall of said opening as said anchoring member is driven home, the lower surface of said head engaging said abutting surface to limit the downward travel of said anchoring member, said stem extending below said sleeve into the lower part of said opening; and a cement mixture filling the lower part of said opening about the lower end of said stem to serve, when set, to assist in holding said anchoring member to the pavement.

4:. An anchor for securing an object to pavement or the like comprising an expansible sleeve positioned in an opening in the pavement, said sleeve having an outwardly extending flange at its top and an inwardly extending abutting surface near its lower end, said flange serving to engage the pavement around .said opening; an anchoring member having an upper head and a lower depending stem, said head and stem fitting respectively into the upper and lower portions of said sleeve, the cross sections of porv tions of said interfitting sleeve and anchoring member being angular to prevent rotation of said anchoring member in said sleeve, said head and stem fitting respectively into the upper and lower portions of said sleeve with an oversize fit to spread both the upper and lower portions of said sleeve outward into intimate contact with the wall of said opening in response to the downward travel of said anchoring member when driven home into said sleeve, the lower surface of said head engaging said abutting surface to limit the downward travel of said anchoring member, said stem extending below said sleeve into the lower part of said opening; and a cement mixture filling the lower part of said opening about the lower end of said stem to serve, when set, to assist in holding said anchoring member to the pavement.

5. An anchor adapted to be set in an opening comprising a sleeve of pliant expansible material having an outwardly flanged top and thick lower walls providing an inwardly extending abutting surface, and an anchoring member having a head and depending stem, said head fitting within the upper portion of said sleeve with an oversize fit to spread the upper portion of said sleeve when said anchoring member is driven home and having a lower surface for engaging said' sleeve abutting surface to limit the inward travel of said anchoring member relative to said sleeve, and said stem having a length sufficient to pass through said sleeve and to extend beyond it when the parts are fully assembled.

6. An anchor adapted to be set in an opening comprising a sleeve of pliant expansible material having an outwardly flanged top and thick lower walls providing a large upper bore and a small lower bore separated by a shoulder constituting an abutting surface, and an anchoring member having a head fitting said upper bore with an oversize fit and a stem fitting said lower bore and adapted to extend through and beyond the same, the lower surfacg of said head being adapted to engage said abutting surface to limit the inward movement of said anchoring member relative to said sleeve, and the engaging surfaces of said head and upper bore being in part angular to prevent rotation of said anchoring member in said sleeve.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 12th day of April, A. D. 1929.

MELVIN E. HARTZLER. EDGAR P. ROMILLY. 

